Papers by Patricia McMullin
The UK's comparatively open and flexible education system provides more options for individuals f... more The UK's comparatively open and flexible education system provides more options for individuals from less advantaged backgrounds to participate, and has a high uptake of tertiary and adult education. However, individuals from lower socio-economic backgrounds remain proportionately under-represented at the highest levels of post-compulsory education. The complex relationship between expansion, the diversification of educational systems and freedom of choice in modern liberal societies means that the background from which students are drawn remains highly relevant to their progression. Multiple options and qualitative differences between courses and institutions puts the onus on students and parents to make correct career decisions - if students from lower socio-economic backgrounds are found more often in less prestigious educational pathways, then prestigious higher level institutions are likely to remain exclusive. The major contribution of my dissertation is the development of an overview of UK educational and labour market pathway formation and its influence on individuals' educational trajectories and social positions. More specifically, I expand on Kerckhoff's (1993) work on "Diverging Pathways: Social Structure and Career Deflections", taking into account changes since the introduction of the comprehensive system, gender differences and adult education. I further the distinction between a pathway and a trajectory in life-course research and elaborate on the debated question of "persistent inequality", taking the theoretical perspective of "effectively maintained inequality" (Lucas 2001) into account. Finally, I consider the role of interactions between different types of inequality (cumulatingdimensions). This thesis finds that students from more educated backgrounds are more likely to choose academic subjects and pathways early, which influences their performance and further progression opportunities. It also finds that men and women differ regarding educational pathways, that vertical gender inequalities and horizontal gender differences at first labour market entry have remained relatively stable over the latter half of the 20th century. And finally, that adult education and learning is subject to a "Matthew effect" (Merton 1968).
Cumulative (dis)advantage? Patterns of participation and outcomes of adult learning in Great Britain
Adult Learning In Modern Societies: An International Comparison from a Life-course Perspective, Jun 2014
Adult learning, labor market outcomes and social inequalities in modern societies
Adult Learning In Modern Societies: An International Comparison from a Life-course Perspective, Jun 2014
Money, mentoring and making friends: the impact of a multidimensional access program on student performance
Zusammenfassung: There is a well established socioeconomic gradient in educational attainment, de... more Zusammenfassung: There is a well established socioeconomic gradient in educational attainment, despite much effort in recent decades to address this inequality. This study evaluates a university access program that provides financial, academic and social support to low socioeconomic status (SES) students using a natural experiment which exploits the time variation in the expansion of the program across schools.
(forthcoming 2016) Onwards or Upwards? The role of subject choice and schools in the reproduction of educational inequality in England
In the 1970’s the UK shifted away from a ‘tracked’ education system to a comprehensive one, (Kerc... more In the 1970’s the UK shifted away from a ‘tracked’ education system to a comprehensive one, (Kerckhoff 1990), in theory reducing educational inequalities by removing barriers to attending ‘grammar’ schools for students of all abilities. However the decentralized nature of education in England, as well as a large fee paying private sector resulted in the English comprehensive system retaining elements of the earlier tracked system. Currently, students are distributed between all-inclusive state-financed schools, of various types and quality, and academically selective, privately-financed ‘independent’ schools. Within schools, students still choose what optional subjects they wish to study for General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) exams. Different schools offer different subjects, with some specializing in more traditional academic subjects and others embracing vocational options.
Many previous studies have looked at the role of attending a selective or a comprehensive school in the social reproduction of inequalities, particularly when the United Kingdom was transitioning to a comprehensive system, fewer studies have examined the impact of class background on subject choice (Van de Werfhorst, Sullivan and Cheung 2003; Jin, Muriel and Sibieta 2010) or on the link between school type and curricular differentiation in promoting social mobility (Iannelli 2013).
In the following chapter, we discuss the changes in the English comprehensive system over the last quarter of the 20th century as-well-as the influence of school and curricula differentiation on educational outcomes, social mobility, and educational transitions. Using the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE) we investigate how social origin and institutional differentiation (in terms of quality and type of school) influences optional subject choice at age 14. We take into account the influence of prior performance and we also examine the impact of these decisions on young people’s GCSE exam results and on further educational pathways.
Overall there seems to be a compensatory effect of social origin on educational attainment and further progression despite student choice. As regards school quality, better performing schools favour the choice of humanities, and discourage the choice of vocational subjects. However, our models indicate that parental influence on choice still dominates school influence in the reproduction of inequality.
A selective review of studies of quantitative evaluations in education
There are many interventions in educational systems around the world designed to help disadvantag... more There are many interventions in educational systems around the world designed to help disadvantaged or underperforming groups. Quantitative analyses of the effectiveness of these interventions are not as common. Nonetheless there is now a substantial research literature measuring the impact of programs aimed at increasing progression to -or retention at - higher education as well as other outcomes such as
Adult Learning in Modern Societies, 2014
It is important to consider how the British institutional context influences adult learning. In t... more It is important to consider how the British institutional context influences adult learning. In the following section, we discuss how adult learning is structured in Britain and outline our expectations on patterns of participation in adult learning and its possible effects in the labor market.
Adult Learning, Labor Market Outcomes, and Social Inequalities in Modern Societies
Adult Learning in Modern Societies, 2014
There is a well established socioeconomic gradient in educational attainment, despite much effort... more There is a well established socioeconomic gradient in educational attainment, despite much effort in recent decades to address this inequality. This study evaluates a university access program that provides financial, academic and social support to low socioeconomic status (SES) students using a natural experiment which exploits the time variation in the expansion of the program across schools. The program has parallels with US affirmative actions programs, although preferential treatment is based on SES rather than ethnicity. Evaluating the effectiveness of programs targeting disadvantaged students in Ireland is particularly salient given the high rate of return to education and the lack of intergenerational mobility in educational attainment. Overall, we identify positive treatment effects on first year exam performance, progression to second year and final year graduation rates, with the impact often stronger for higher ability students. We find similar patterns of results for students that entered through the regular system and the 'affirmative action' group i.e. the students that entered with lower high school grades. The program affects the performance of both male and female students, albeit in different ways. This study suggests that access programs can be an effective means of improving academic outcomes for socio-economically disadvantaged students.
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Papers by Patricia McMullin
Many previous studies have looked at the role of attending a selective or a comprehensive school in the social reproduction of inequalities, particularly when the United Kingdom was transitioning to a comprehensive system, fewer studies have examined the impact of class background on subject choice (Van de Werfhorst, Sullivan and Cheung 2003; Jin, Muriel and Sibieta 2010) or on the link between school type and curricular differentiation in promoting social mobility (Iannelli 2013).
In the following chapter, we discuss the changes in the English comprehensive system over the last quarter of the 20th century as-well-as the influence of school and curricula differentiation on educational outcomes, social mobility, and educational transitions. Using the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE) we investigate how social origin and institutional differentiation (in terms of quality and type of school) influences optional subject choice at age 14. We take into account the influence of prior performance and we also examine the impact of these decisions on young people’s GCSE exam results and on further educational pathways.
Overall there seems to be a compensatory effect of social origin on educational attainment and further progression despite student choice. As regards school quality, better performing schools favour the choice of humanities, and discourage the choice of vocational subjects. However, our models indicate that parental influence on choice still dominates school influence in the reproduction of inequality.